Method of freeing the soil, trees, or plants from harmful animals.



PATENTED JAN. 10, 1905.

v No. 779,791.

S. LOK UGIBJEWSKY. METHOD OF FREEING THE SOIL, TREES, OR PLANTS FROMHARMFUL ANIMALS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. e. 1903.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1,

wmvsssss l No. 779,791. PATENTED JAN. 10, 1965.

S. LOKUGIEJEWSKY. METHOD OF FREEING THE SOIL, TREES, 0R PLANTS PROMHARMFUL ANIMALS.

APPLIUATION FILED AUG. 6. 1903.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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APPLICATION FILED AUG. 6. 1903.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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WITNESSES No. 779,791. PATENTED JAN. 10, 1905.

' S. LOKUOIEJEWSKY.

. METHOD OF FREEING THE SOIL, TREES, OR PLANTS FROM HARMFUL ANIMALS.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 6. 1903.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

- rent or an alternating current. In the latter UNITED STATES PatentedJanuary 10, 1905.

PATENT- OFFICE.

SIGISMUND LOKUCIEJEWSKY, OF ODESSA, RUSSIA.

METHOD OF FREEING THE SOIL, TREES, 0R PLANTS FROM HARMFUL ANIMALS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent NO. 779,791, dated January10, 1905.

Application filed August 6, 1903. Serial No. 168,446.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I. SIGISMUND LoKUoIn- JEWSKY, a subject of the Emperorof Russia, residing at Odessa, in the Empire of Russia, have invented anew and useful Method of Freeing the Soil, Trees, or Plants from HarmfulAnimals, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a new method of electrically freeing the soil,a'tree, or plant from insects, caterpillars, worms, maggots, slugs, andother similar harmful animals in or on the soil, tree, or plant'and ofincreasing the productivity of the soil. This method consists insubjecting the soil, tree, or.plant infected or covered with the harmfulanimals to the action of an alternating current of high tension andfrequency, whereby the said animals are at once destroyed and the soilis electrified and charged with ozone.

The present invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, inwhich Figure 1 is a top view of the apparatus em ployed for carrying outmy new method. Fig. 2 is a rear viewthereof. Fig. 3 is a side view ofthe same; and Fig. 4: is also'a side view,

but showing the apparatus as applied to the tree.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts.

In carrying out my invention a portable source of electric current ispreferably employed. The source of electric current may bea storagebattery or a mechanical generator capable of furnishing either a directourcasethe mechanical generator 4 is mounted upon a wheeled frame, whichcomprises a frame 1, carried by wheels 2 in such a manner that thegenerator will be rapidly rotated either directly from the axle of thewheels 2 of the car by means of gear-wheels 3, as shown in the drawings,or by a special motor mounted upon the frame. The current, whetherdirect or alternating, furnished by the storage battery or' themechanical generator is, as shown by the arrows, first led through aninterrupter 5 of any suitable construction and after its passing therh'eostat 10 enters the high tension and frequency and low density isproduced by well-known means, which tension and frequency, if desired,could be still increased by other well-known means-as, for instance,those suggested by Tesla. One pole of this current terminates in a toolor other implement of any suitable kind, which is arranged to eitherslide on the surface of the soil, tree, or plant or to cut into the'soil. As shown in the drawings, there is employed for this purpose acircular disk or wheel 7, carried by a rod 11, adjustably attached tothe frame 1 of the car, so that according to the adjustment of this rod11 the wheel 7 will cut more or less into the soil. This wheel or disk 7is preferably sharpened at its edges, so that the forward movement ofthe car is not very much obstructed. The second pole of the electriccircuit terminates in brushes or similar tools 8. Said brushes arevfixed to the lower ends of rods or levers 9, whereby the brushes can beapproached more or less to the surface of the soil. As shown in thedrawings, the wheels or disks 7 cutting into the soil are arranged atthe front end of the car, while the brushes 8 are located at the rearend of the car. The generated current flows from the transformer orinduction-coil 6 through the disk 7 into the soil and through the latterto the other pole, passing-in the form of strong sparks or radiatingrays from the soil to the brushes 8 and then back through correspondingconductingwires to the transformer. All the worms, maggots, slugs,insects, caterpillars, and other animals of any kind in and on the soilthrough which flows the alternating current of high tension andfrequency will then be subjected to the action of the same, and therebyat once destroyed.

When the brushes 8 are raised from the surface of the soil, so that thesparking is prevented, then the soil becomes ozonified.

The animals on trees, plants, and flowers can equally be destroyed in asimilar manner. The one movable pole, 8', is moved by hand either director by means of any suitable implement along the surface of the trunk orbranch of the tree to be treated, an" the other pole, 7, is introducedinto the soil near the tree, when all the animals in the bark and on thesurface of the tree and direct on the roots of the same will bedestroyed. This mode of operation is clearly shown in Fig. 4. It isevident that other plants can be treated in a "similar manner to freethem of the harmful animals. The alternating current of high tensionpresents besides the destroying of the animals also the importantadvantage that it electrifies the soil between the two poles and chargesit with ozone.

Trials have proved that the productivity of the soil treated in thismanner has been increased not inconsiderably, so that the new method issure to be also of special importance in this respect for farmingpurposes The before-mentioned apparatus is intended to be so arranged asto give at a potential of five hundred thousand (500,000) volts aboutfive ten-millionths (0.0000005) of an ampere. These figures indicate theapproximate relation of the volts to the amperes. It has been found thatcurrents of such high potential and low-current density do not injureplants, but do seriously and mortally, act on insects, worms, maggots,&c.

Obviously the'construction of the portable source of current and of thetransformer or induction-coil may be of any known kind without deviatingfrom the spirit of my invention.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is,-

1. The method of freeing the soil and its products from harmful animals,which consists in subjecting the soil and its products to the action ofan alternating current of high tension and frequency and low density.

2. The method of freeing the soil and its products from harmful animals,which consists in moving the poles of an induced circuit arranged at aconvenient distance from each other along the surface of the soil andits products and'passing an alternating current of high potential andfrequency and low density between said poles, so as to electrify andozonize the soil and its products and free the same from harmfulanimals.

3. The method of freeing the soil from harmful animals, which consistsin moving the poles of an induced circuit at a convenient distance fromeach other, one pole being forced into contact with the soil and theother supported out of contact with the same, and then passing analternating current of high tension and frequency and low densitybetween the po es.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two su bscribing witnesses.

SIGISMUND LOKUCIEJEWSKY.

Witnesses: 1 THOMAS E. HEENAN, THoMAs MILns.

